Panthers vs. Lightning Odds
| Panthers Odds | -105 |
| Lightning Odds | -113 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -138 / +112 |
Here's everything you need to know about Panthers vs. Lightning on Wednesday, December 27th, including NHL expert picks and predictions.
After a three-day break, NHL action returns with a vengeance on Wednesday with a 14-game slate of action.
One of the marquee matchups of the day will be this season's first edition of the Battle of Florida, with the Tampa Bay Lightning hosting the Florida Panthers.
The Lightning have been contenders for the last decade, with a pair of Stanley Cups to show for their efforts. Now, their dominance in the Sunshine State is being challenged by the Panthers, who have made the playoffs in the last four years and reached the Cup Final last spring.
Coming out of the break, both sides are in playoff spots in the ultra-tight Eastern Conference. The Panthers hold a one-point edge, and also have two games in hand.
There's always plenty of emotion on the ice when these two sides go head-to-head. Here's my expert pick and preview of Panthers vs. Lightning.
Florida Panthers
What a difference a year makes. At the holiday break in the 2022-23 season, the Panthers were on a three-game losing streak under first-year coach Paul Maurice and sat eight points out of a wild-card spot. Then, they defied the odds by getting themselves into the postseason, charging all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.
This season, the Eastern Conference standings are jammed up, without much breathing room. But the Panthers are currently in a much better spot than last year, sitting third in the Atlantic Division after a satisfying 4-2 revenge win over Vegas in their last game before the break.
The Panthers remain one of the strongest puck-possession teams in the league, with an expected goals share of 54.63% at 5-on-5. In net, Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz have both been steady, with positive goals saved above expected to go along with save percentages of .910 and .915, respectively.
Offense has been uncharacteristically hard to come by for Florida. Sam Reinhart is doing his bit with 19 tallies, and has scored twice in his last three games. Carter Verhaeghe has also picked up his pace over the last month, and is now up to 16 for the year.
The Panthers are waiting for more production from Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett, who have each scored just five times this season.
Bennett is one of several key Panthers who has missed time with injury this year, but Florida's roster looks relatively healthy coming out of the holiday break.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Are the Lightning starting to round into form? After starting the season without Andrei Vasilevskiy, then stumbling a bit after his return, it looks like Jon Cooper's group has begun to steady the ship.
The Lightning went into the holidays on a three-game winning streak and are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games. During that stretch, Vasilevskiy was in net for all seven wins, putting up a .925 save percentage and 2.32 goals-against average along the way.
Up front, Nikita Kucherov leads the league with 57 points in just 34 games and the Lightning power play is clicking at 30.7%. So while their puck possession game is below the league average, they're a handful offensively.
Tampa Bay has just one injury of note: Mikhail Sergachev has missed the last two games with a lower-body issue, and been listed as day-to-day.
Panthers vs. Lightning
Betting Pick & Prediction
Wednesday will be the first of three Battle of Florida clashes this season. Last year, the Lightning won the first game 4-1 on home ice, then lost the other two by a combined score of 11-2.
With home-ice advantage and the hotter hand over the last couple of weeks, Tampa Bay is narrowly favored on the moneyline, opening at -115.
Given both teams' good recent goaltending and the fact that everyone will be well-rested coming out of the holiday break, the best-value option for this game will be to target the total at plus money, looking for fewer than 6.5 goals.
Pick: Under 6.5 (+110 at FanDuel) | Play to +100
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